IS PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR ME?

Physical therapists help people get out of pain and teach them how to be more physically healthy. If you’re experiencing pain or have difficulty with moving your body as comfortably as you’d like—whether it’s through a sport or during day-to-day activities—you’re a candidate for physical therapy!

Common physical therapy patients include people who receive surgery, experience chronic pain, suffered an acute injury (such as an ankle sprain or a fall), or experience discomfort when engaging in recreational, leisure activities.

What can I expect during my initial visit?

During your hour-long initial evaluation, you’ll be able to take as much time as you’d like to describe the pain or movement-related issues you’ve been experiencing. You’ll also be asked about previous injuries and about any pertinent medical history that would help your physical therapist better treat you. In addition to a movement assessment, your physical therapist may perform various manual special diagnostic tests, muscle testing and range of motion assessment as part of your physical examination. You’re also welcome to use your visit to inquire about any physical issues you may have aside from your chief complaint or the primary diagnosis on your physical therapy prescription (if you have one).

After the physical examination your physical therapist may guide you through various movements and/or exercises either for further diagnostic purposes or as therapeutic exercises to treat your condition. A thorough rehab exercise plan will be sent to you (at a later date) with details on sets, repetitions, frequency, instructions and links to video demonstrations.

Your physical therapist will also inform you about his/her prognosis for your injury or pain and whether or not further physical therapy visits are warranted in order to see further progress.

Please feel free to ask your PT about any of the above details in the event any aspect of the above has been omitted.

WHY ARE YOU AN OUT-OF-NETWORK PROVIDER, AND DO YOU EVER INTEND TO GO IN-NETWORK?

A distinguishable aspect of my practice is that each session is 60 minutes of one-on-one time between patient and therapist. A patient will always have the undivided attention of a single therapist, there is no delegation of work to assistants, interns nor aides, and ample time can be devoted to the particular needs of each patient.

This enables a higher quality physical therapy experience and being an out-of-network provider allows me to maintain this model that results in better health outcomes and greater patient satisfaction.

The majority of in-network physical therapy clinics, while cheaper, do not offer one-on-one treatment sessions. Instead they often rely on using passive treatment modalities (such as hot packs, ultrasound, electrical stimulation) and inadequate exercises & interventions supervised & administered by aides or assistants to handle the large volume of patients in the clinic at any given time.

No two patients are exactly the same, and I care about attending to YOUR specific, individualized needs from a rehabilitative standpoint to give you the best care that you can possibly receive.

Do I need a doctor's prescription before seeing you for the first time?

No! Direct access to physical therapists without a prescription or referral by a physician is allowed under New York State law. Physical therapists are recognized as well-qualified to be able to evaluate and assess a patient's need for physical therapy, and to refer the patient out to a physician in the event that physical therapy is not warranted due to medical reasons. The physical therapist may treat the patient for 10 visits or for 30 days (whichever comes first), after which the patient must receive a medical prescription in order to continue care.